The US does not want to give Erdogan his trump card

05.08.2016

No second warrant of arrest, nor the visits of the delegates of the Turkish Parliament stuffed with dirt boxes can’t convince Washington to extradite Turkish Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen, whom Erdogan has officially declared the instigator of the recent rebellion. Gulen is extremely popular in the Sunni world, but whether this explains the unwillingness of the US to extradite preacher of Turkish justice?

The United States intends to deny Turkey to extradite opposition leader of the Turkish Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen, reports The Wall Street Journal, citing sources familiar with the consultations on this issue. Washington currently not satisfied with Ankara presents evidence about the alleged involvement of Gulen in the preparation of a failed coup, said the source publication.

“Turkey has always on something insists, is the way its current leadership. First, it is something starts to insist, but then realizes – it is better to be silent”

As informs RIA “news” on Friday, the Izmir Prosecutor’s office issued second after the attempted coup, the arrest warrant for Gulen, accused by Ankara insurrection. According to Turkish TV channel NTV in law enforcement, a new warrant issued on the basis of the testimony of senior military personnel in the investigation of the attempted coup.

On the eve of the Istanbul court made the decision on correspondence arrest of gülen on charges of organizing a coup attempt in Turkey. The decision of the Second criminal court of Istanbul stated that gülen “gave the order to commit the attempted coup of 15 July”.

Recall that Gulen is accused of directing a terrorist organization, the assassination of the President of the country, attempting to overthrow the government by force of arms and involvement in the deaths of 246 people during the rebellion.

Meanwhile, the actions of the USA against Turkey and condemned the American media. So, Foreign Policy notes that the policy States pushes Erdogan to Moscow’s embrace. Between the Russian and Turkish leaders when they meet in St. Petersburg, possible even deal: Russia would refrain from supporting problematic for Ankara Kurdistan workers ‘ party (PKK) and Democratic Union and Turkey in return will agree to a close eye on the stay of Assad in power in Syria, warned the journalists of the portal. Unlike the West, Putin criticizes Erdogan for cleaning after the coup, noted FP. According to the authors, the United States should be more loyal to Turkey to support its democratically elected government.

“Yet to convince”

The Wall Street Journal, commenting on the unwillingness of Washington to extradite Gulen of Turkey, notes that American and Turkish authorities “privately discussed scenarios under which gülen could be extradited to Turkey, but Ankara has yet to convince Washington that the extradition of the preacher a very good reason.

Moreover, the more the Turkish authorities, including President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, talking about the supposedly confirmed the role of the opposition in the preparation of the coup and the more demand his immediate extradition, “the less likely it is that the extradition will take place,” said The WSJ. Such statements Ankara “raise questions” and forced Washington to doubt that Gulen in Turkey is waiting for a fair and transparent trial, explained to the publication.

The final decision on extradition is still pending, and negotiations on this issue will last a few months. However, said the sources, at the moment they “can’t imagine a scenario in which Gulen eventually will be extradited to the Turkish authorities.”

85 large boxes

On Friday, the United States received from a member of the Turkish Parliament Kamila Aydin 85 boxes of documents which, in his words confirm the involvement of Gulen to the coup attempt on July 15.

Aydin arrived in the U.S. as part of the parliamentary delegation that held meetings with representatives of various us agencies, including the Ministry of justice, with the aim of achieving a speedy extradition of Gulen. Talking about “big boxes 85″ to journalists, the politician stressed that the Americans they are studying”.

The Deputy of the ruling justice and development party (AKP) Taha Ozkhan, Chairman of the parliamentary Committee on foreign Affairs, added that the results of the meeting with U.S. officials allow us to calculate the “positive development”. “We were in the Ministry of justice, Ministry of national security, the state Department and the Pentagon, everywhere, we were told that to cooperate. They are aware of the current situation”, – said the politician.

He noted that the agreement is valid since 1981. Stay opposition in the United States directly affects the bilateral relations, said the Turkish parliamentarian.

Sends through the media the encrypted messages to agents”

“Gulen still lives in Pennsylvania, USA. As long as he lives here, it’s not just a problem for bilateral relations and the fight against global terrorism is also an ongoing threat,” – said Ozkhan.

In conclusion, Ozkhan stated that gülen also need to deny access to the media, because through them he sends the encrypted message to their “agents”.

Earlier in mass media there were messages on possibility of a response to the refusal to extradite Gulen may be closing for U.S. access to the Incirlik air base. “You’ve never seen such cheap tactics from Turkey in the past… I’m not going to speculate on what these things could hypothetically appear on the table,” commented Ozkhan.

Who gives a trump card in the game?

“You never know what Turkey insists! Turkey generally always on something insists. It is a habit of its present leadership, which, as a rule, first something starts to insist, but then realizes that it is better to be silent”, – commenting on the actions of Ankara, said in comments the newspaper VIEW President of the Institute of Middle East Yevgeny Satanovsky.

The expert recalled that “the time to refrain from filing claims that, by definition, no one will be performed – this is political wisdom. But Erdogan often forgets that he is in the world not one and not all (around) are his subjects: neither in Russia, nor in Europe nor in the same America”.

If Taha Ozkhan believes that Gulen in Turkey are supporters that he was a threat to Erdogan, it is an absolute priority for the Americans not to give gülen. “Who gives a trump card in the game, no matter the political or the card!” – said the interlocutor.

In addition, gülen – a man with a “gigantic level of popularity in the Islamic world: Indonesia, Pakistan, Central Asia and all over the Sunni world. “He is a moderate Islamist who firmly and strongly condemned the 11 September. Who will give?” – surprised Satanovsky.

He stressed that nearly guaranteed non-extradition of gülen on the relations between the US and Turkey will not affect. “A lot of noise, shouting… what? Erdogan can afford to break off relations with the United States? Very funny,” – said the expert.

“Demonstrations of the natives”

“The only possible demonstration of the Turkish leadership that it is unhappy. What? The Americans so many times was the demonstration of different, from their point of view, of the natives, including Erdogan that they used to work with it,” – said Satanovskiy.

Besides dissatisfaction Turkey can do something symbolic, for example, surround the base troops in Incirlik, that’s right scared!”, the interlocutor added.

Commenting on concerns the U.S. media about the fact that the United States can alienate Turkey, the expert said that “Turkey is repelled by the US throughout its recent history. And Turkey, and America was taking its course.”

“Turkey has one side towards which it is drifting, it’s called Turkey,” the expert concluded.